Tag Archives: sash window renovation

English Heritage is running its annual English Heritage Angel Awards. Sponsored by The Telegraph, the awards aim to promote landmarks, buildings and monuments that individuals or groups have been responsible for rescuing.

Ventrolla shares English Heritage’s passion for preserving the very Best of British, with its sash window renovation experts working on a daily basis to save the integrity and historic importance of some of Britain’s most beautiful buildings.

Therefore Ventrolla would encourage you to take a look at the shortlist, made up of 16 nominees. You can vote for anything from a High Street to a windmill and even a castle!

One of those finalists includes Max Sinclair and The Droitwich Canals. Max first began his campaign to restore the canals to their former glory back in the 1960’s and after 38 years of restoration the canals were finally reopened in the summer of 2011.

It’s great to see Max and his fellow nominees setting such a brilliant example, each taking their own approach to preserving British heritage.

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Fancy yourself as the next Ansel Adams? Well it’s National Photo Week this week (2nd to 8th July) and to celebrate Ventrolla is showing off the best shots it’s collected from the last quarter of a century.

The window restoration champion has been renovating timber sash windows and casement windows in many of Britain’s most beautiful stately homes for nearly 30 years, so as you can imagine there is now quite the collection of snaps featuring picturesque period properties and their spectacular landscaped gardens.

Ventrolla is showcasing this stunning selection of images on their Flickrshow reel for fellow architecture enthusiasts to enjoy.

To see the complete picture collection, visit Ventrolla’s Flickrshow reel or if you have any beautiful shots of your period home or interesting architectural images you would like to share, please feel free to upload them to the Ventrolla Facebook page.

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Not being able to sleep can be extremely frustrating, especially when you’ve paid to stay in a luxurious B&B. It’s even more frustrating when it’s not your fault you can’t sleep; it’s down to a draughty sashwindow!

That’s exactly what happened in the recent episode of ‘Four in a Bed’. Aired on More4, the programme sees four B&B owners take it in turns to stay a night at each other’s establishments and mark them out of ten. In series 2, episode 14 we meet Annette, proud owner of Hazelwood Farm, a beautiful B&B of the upmost quality and luxury bar one minor detail – those troublesomesash windows. And it’s for this reason she loses the competition!

When fellow B&B owners, Peter and Sharon, enter their room at Hazelwood Farm, Peter is most putout to find that the seemingly charming sash window is too stiff to open or shut freely. He complains “the windows are dangerous in this room”, with his wife nodding in agreement asserting “they are a fire hazard”.

But the drama didn’t end there. After being interviewed the next morning on how they slept, the response from Peter was “my night was completely and absolutely ruined”. The reason for his disturbed night is anything but romantic. Peter continues to explain how the wind “howled” through the gaps of the sash window. The couple agree to award Hazelwood farm a disappointing score out of 10 for their nights rest, and one that mirrors the number of hours sleep they managed to get that night: a mere 3.

If Annette had tackled this issue earlier, it wouldn’t have made her guests stay so uncomfortable.

A simple renovation and upgrade is all the window needs to resolve the issue, a service sash window experts Ventrolla specialise in. The unique Ventrolla Perimeter Sealing System tackles draughts and rattles by sealing all gaps around the sashes whilst still allowing for smooth operation.

With over 25 years experience, Ventrolla’s portfolio of work includes a variety of B&B’s that have received the restoration treatment from the experts, including Jerichos at the Waverley in Windermere (pictured right) and Tosson Tower Farm in Rothbury, Northumberland. Both projects included the renovation oftimber sash windows to improve their general state and the comfort of the guests.

Chris Blaydes, Proprietor and Head Chef for Jerichos said: “Although the sash windows were in good condition, the gap around the frame caused draughts and rattles. It is not acceptable to have guests staying in rooms with noisy windows.

I am very happy with the completed work. The sash windows no longer rattle and I can’t wait to see the difference the newly sealed windows have made in reducing heat loss when the winter comes.

The work was carried out while guests were staying in the bed and breakfast, but Ventrolla completed the restoration project with limited disruption.”

In addition, John Foggin of Tosson Tower Farm said: “Having our timber windows renovated by Ventrolla has made such a difference. We can now open all the top and bottom windows in the guest bedrooms. My wife, Ann, has noticed such a difference as she can fully open the windows as she cleans the rooms and they get plenty of fresh air between guest bookings.”

So, following Annette’s missed window of opportunity to clinch the ‘Four in a Bed’ title,Ventrolla is encouraging all B&B owners to learn from her experience and take on those sash windows!

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He’s there to help you learn to ride a bike, support you with your homework, advise on buying your first car and responsible for embarrassing you at any given opportunity. It couldn’t be anyone else but your Dad.

So there is no better time to celebrate everything Dad’s do than on Father’s Day this year, on 17th June.

Firstly, make sure you’re a fan of the page and then click on the competition tab. This will direct you to a comments box where you submit your completed sentence – the more creative the better!

Fans will then vote for their favourite entry by ‘liking’ the comments, so make sure you encourage your friends and family to help you out. The entry with the most ‘likes’ wins the wine hamper, worth £89.99!

Just as Ventrolla treats each sash window or casement window they renovate individually, Dad’s should be looked after the same way – So if you know your Dad would love to be sampling fine wines from around the world, make sure you get your entry in NOW!

Has there ever been a better opportunity to celebrate the Best of Britain?

If you are the owner of a quintessentially British period home, this summer is the perfect occasion to join the celebrations by preserving your own piece of our built heritage.

Sash windows have been a key architectural element of British buildings since the early seventeenth century. The glass panes and wooden frames of your sash windows have spanned over 400 years of British history. It is important to preserve these traditional features that bring British heritage into the contemporary home and emit an abundance of character and British charm.

Maintaining these features of your home has never been so simple with Ventrolla’s free, no obligation survey and quotation for sash window renovation and performance upgrade, which individually assesses each timber windowwith the objective to retain as much of the originals as possible, wherever economically possible.

Many think that the only solution to rotten, draughty and rattily old windows is to replace them, but this isn’t usually necessary since timber sash windows and casement windowsare often perceived to be in much worse condition than they actually are.

With over 25 years worth of experience, Ventrolla installs its unique Ventrolla Perimeter Sealing System (VPSS) Weatherfin Pile, which is manufactured in Britain and upgrades the windows performance by eliminating draughts, rattles and helping to reduce external noise. New joinery, such as new sashes, slim double glazed sashes, or window sills can form part of the quotation too – all of which are also manufactured in Britain.

Having been established nearly 30 years with a network of offices and workshops throughout Britain, and all work covered by a 5 year guarantee, you can be sure of a sash window renovation serviceof the highest of standards from Ventrolla– a service fit for the Queen herself.

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It has been widely reported this week that the Government has confirmed the full list of 261 schools that will be rebuilt or revamped under the Priority School Building Programme.

The value of this programme has been set at £2.4 billion and replaces the Building Schools for the Future initiative.

42 schools deemed in the worst condition will commence work immediately at a value of £400 million, funded by capital grants rather than the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme.

Education Secretary, Michael Gove, revealed in a written ministerial statementthat 587 schools applied to the programme with the final 261 being successful.

He said “Officials have written to all schools who applied for the programme to confirm whether their application has been successful. Work will begin immediately and the first schools will be open in 2014.

I recognise that many of the schools that applied to the PSBP and have been unsuccessful will also have significant condition needs. Some of those will have their needs addressed through the other funding we have made available for maintenance.”

This is a welcome move say Ventrolla, the sash window renovation experts, who have worked on many education establishments since they formed in 1983, helping to retain original timber windows and maintain established building stock within the education sector.

Alan Bell, Sales and Marketing Director for Ventrolla, said “We’ve worked on some fantastic education projects over the years, and hope to be involved in some way in the development of the schools on this list. We have a lot of experience of working with Schools and Universities, and have worked round many timetables and school holidays to be able to play a part in retaining some beautiful buildings.”

Mr Gove went on to explain in his statement that the funding had been found through savings in the department on construction and procurement, saying “This limited capital funding has become available by taking a more disciplined approach to managing my Department’s capital budgets.

Savings have been made by driving down the cost of new schools, shortening procurement times and challenging contractors to look for savings in all areas. These savings mean that more schools will benefit from the programme.

We are determined to reduce the wasteful processes of the past. That is why we have developed new baseline designs which will speed up the process and increase efficiencies and we are reducing the regulations and guidance governing school premises. This will encourage lower-cost build processes to be designed-in from the start.”

Others commenting on the Governments introduction of the programme include Cllr David Simmonds, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, who said “This funding will go some way to addressing the problems facing some of our most dilapidated schools. But we are still in a situation where more than 300 run-down schools have been left in limbo after lengthy delays in government decision making.”

Ventrolla fully supports the iniciative – championing renovation wherever possible in the development of existing buildings, helping to reduce project costs…And if it’s for the benefit of young children in education then even better!

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Hear! Hear! It’s Noise Action Week across the UK and Ventrolla is here to (quietly) sing its praises.

Noise Action Week is aimed to raise awareness of the negative impact that excessive noise can have on individuals and communities, and so it seems the perfect time to mention how Ventrolla’s services can reduce the external noises that may impinge on the peace and privacy of a period home.

If you’re fed up of those noisy neighbours, the hum of traffic, the screeches and scurries of boisterous wildlife, the howling winds or the rattles ringing from your sash windows, listen to this… The services that Ventrolla provide could improve the soundproofing of your windows.
Should you have gaps causing rattles and draughts around your existing sash windows, our unique Ventrolla Perimeter Sealing System (VPSS) can be installed to provide a weather seal. As well as eliminating draughts and rattles it also, as an added benefit, reduces environmental noise.

Ventrolla Noise Reduction Comparison Tests

To explain – sliding sash windows normally require at least a 3mm gap around the sashes in order to slide past each other properly. In an average sized window of 1.2m x 1.8m, the aggregate gap area would be 15cm x 15cm, amounting to 1% of the total area of the window. The Ventrolla Perimeter Sealing System (VPSS) eliminates this air gap and, under live tests, achieved a noise reduction in the 6 – 10dB range, which in acoustic terms is deemed ‘significant’.

However, whilst VPSS can provide a positive impact on noise reduction, this should be viewed as an added benefit rather than as a solution to external noise. For such problems, secondary glazing should be considered, which you’ll be pleased to know Ventrolla can also help with.

By installing secondary glazing to sit in front of your primary window internally, you can achieve a much better reduction in noise.

Recent Ventrolla customers have also commented on the sound reduction benefits of their renovated windows.

Mr Pearson of Chapel Housein Ormskirk, Lancashire, said: “The timber itself was generally in pretty good condition, but we couldn’t open many of the sash windows because they had been painted shut. Ventrolla was able to free up the mechanisms and then draught proof the sash windows effectively in order to reduce the amount of external noise. The house is near a main road and since the repairs we hardly notice any traffic noise at all.”

These sentiments were also echoed by Wayne Bass, Building Manager for Coleherne Court Maintenance Fund in South West London: “Our priority in all we do is maintaining the original features of the buildings. Ventrolla gave us the perfect solution when it came to updating our sash windows and we have noticed a definite reduction in noise and draughts.”

The action against noise begins at home. If your sash windows are keeping you up at night don’t just lie in bed and grumble. Take action against noise and make use of Ventrolla’s free, no obligation survey and quotation- it could be your solution to a quieter life.

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Nearly eight in ten universities will undertake a major construction project within the next year, according to research from contractor Wates, and as reported by Construction News this month.

The survey of 52 senior estates staff at universities found 79 per cent would start a major construction project worth £5m or more this year or next, with the more popular types of projects being improvements to teaching areas, research facilities and student accommodation.

These plans have come into play since it was announced that student course fees will increase from September 2012. Over two thirds of the survey respondents said they were making the changes to attract more international or postgraduate students.

Universities Lead at Wates Construction, Ian Vickers, said: “Students are being asked to pay more than ever before for a university degree. That means they expect a quality of experience that reflects the high price they are paying. In order to remain competitive, universities are therefore looking to deliver modern facilities that have the ‘wow’ factor while also encouraging more efficient and collaborative use of space.”

In addition, over a third (38%) thought that they were not making efficient use of space, thus providing scope for further conversions and renovation of existing university properties.

In recent times, Ventrolla has experienced an influx in education establishment renovation projects, whereby sash or timber window renovation has been required to improve energy efficiency, correct operational issues and/or for aesthetic reasons in order to improve the general look of the building.

Alan Bell, Sales and Marketing Director for Ventrolla, said “We’ve seen a recent rise in window renovation enquiries from education establishments – namely universities wanting to improve the standard of their teaching and accommodation facilities. This is great news for our built heritage, as many universities throughout the UK and Ireland occupy listed buildings.”

Ian Vickers of Wates Construction, added “Our survey shows that universities cannot, and will not, stand still. With the market becoming more competitive and international, estates directors need to do more for less. If the UK is to remain a world-leader in higher education at a time of constrained funding, innovative solutions will be required to extract the maximum possible value from new and existing assets.”

It would seem that, in time, the phrase ‘student accommodation’ may no longer have the same connotation for people as it once did!

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In last months Budget announcement, it was proposed to dispose of the zero VAT rate for listed properties as from October 2012 – increasing the cost of development and maintenance in listed buildings and putting the future of our listed heritage at risk – and thus their timber sash windows!

In outrage, The Heritage Alliance have launched their “NO Campaign” and are urging people to sign up to the online government petition to show your support!